News Feed

Amna H-S is a special member of the RPA community. Amna has Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), more commonly known as Brittle Bone disease, so lives with the prospect of breaking bones on a daily basis. However, she constantly remains positive, upbeat and helpful wherever she can. Amna went into hospital for an operation on her back in November. Ms Hutchinson and Ms Berry went to visit her and are delighted to report that she is making a good recovery. We are very lucky to have Amna as part of our school community on a daily basis so we would like to take the opportunity to support the Brittle Bones Society too. You can donate to their cause via theBrittle Bones Society website.

Year 8, Lottie R has just been named one of the winners of the National Open Art (NOA) Children’s Competition. Lottie won the Seaward Properties Chichester Art Award for Lost Memories with her painting about Alzheimer’s. As well as winning a prize for herself, Lottie has also won £700 for Richmond Park Academy’s art department. Her work will be displayed as part of the Children’s Exhibition in Chichester.

The art department is very proud of Lottie, who joined us in Year 8, and hugely impressed by her work. “ "We were very excited to hear about Lottie's success in the NOA Children's competition this year. We welcome her to our school as a very accomplished artist already andare looking forward to working with her in the years to come. The art department is keen to help Lottie to develop her creativity further for future success"

Richmond Park Academy’s Girls U/13 Table Tennis team won the London South Schools Table Tennis tournament this week beating Stanley Park, Coloma and Wallington Girls Secondary schools.The winning team of Elizabeth P, Michaela P, Adelka D and Lilah J now go on to represent the region at the zone finals in East London. RPA’s Table Tennis coach, Ms Colt, said, “This was a fantastic team effort. Our debutantes, Adelka and Lilah won 10 matches between them. When you have strength in depth like that you always have a good chance. I am very proud of them and looking forward to the next challenge in the zone final”

Head of PE, Tim Clifford would like to invite parents and students to join him and other RPA teachers for a Christmas Parkrun on Saturday 16 December in Richmond Park. The course is 5k and it is free to join in! There are over 700 Parkrun events across the country and all ages and paces take part. So, if you can run 5k in 20 or 40 minutes there will be somebody there running with you. Parkrun times all runners for free as part of the experience but you do have to register. You can do so on the ParkRun website.

If you are interested in joining in please fill in this short form so that we know how many to expect, then meet us at Pembroke Lodge, near Richmond Gate in Richmond Park at 8.30 am. Wear something festive - no matter how small - and it could earn you a mince pie afterwards….!

Applications are invited to become a member of the first Richmond Park Academy (RPA) Parent and Community Advisory Board (PCAB). The board will form an important role as part of the governance of the school and will work closely with the AET Management board and the Principal, Mr Mundy-Castle.

PCAB objectives

Community – a school does not exist independently of its community of local residents. The PCAB will act as a link between the two, ensuring that children benefit from local opportunities for learning, development and employment.

Concerns – No school gets everything right, all the time, and a good school thrives on clear channels of feedback. The PCAB is an independent point of contact for stakeholders to express their concerns and will help people find the appropriate processes and channels to communicate their concerns or complaints. Where trends emerge, the PCAB will help the Principal and the Governing Board to find solutions. PCAB members may also support panel hearings where appropriate.

Celebration - championing the strengths and achievements of the academy, recognising that success breeds success, and that it is in everyone’s interests to promote the reputation of the academy and its pupils.

PCAB member - person profile

A PCAB member will be either a parent or a member of the local community. They are likely to have backgrounds in finance, HR, communications, education or sport administration. However, other backgrounds will be considered if the applicant can demonstrate their commitment to RPA’s future development. Successful applicants will also:

be good inclusive communicators who make all stakeholders feel that their voice is important and that they have access to information and activities

Be creative and able to demonstrate problem-solving initiative

Be positive in outlook

Commitment required

The PCAB will meet at least once a term and ideally, once every half term. In addition, where members have professional expertise in areas of relevance to the academy, they may be invited to attend meetings of the Governing Board for particular topics.

If this is something that you would be interested in applying for, please contact Mr Mundy Castle’s PA in the first instance expressing your interest and including a 200 word summary of how you thinks your skills and experience can support Richmond Park Academy's future development. The deadline for submissions is 4pm on Friday 1 December.

There are 2 fantastic trips to France taking place in 2018 and 2019. The first one, organised by Acting Head of MFL, Ms Schmitt, will take Year 8 and 9 students to Mayenne in southern Normandy in July 2018. The students will experience the history, culture and language of the region as well as enjoying a comprehensive range of activities in the evening. The £470 price also includes visits to Mont St Michel and Disneyland Paris. Our second French trip is focused on skiing and takes place in April 2019 in the ski resort of Alpe D'Huez. This week long trip costs £915 and includes all travel, accommodation, ski passes and ski instruction, All standards are welcome from beginner to advanced with all participants getting the coaching appropriate to them.

If you are interested in either trip go to our forthcoming trips page to download the permission form and ParentPay to make your deposit payment!

Richmond Park Academy has two part-time vacancies available. The first is to support our ambitious sports department as they strive to deliver more competitive opportunities for our students. The second is to support our Saturday School tutoring interventions which support our students in achieving their targets. Details are below.

Experienced minibus driver

Are you a retired PE teacher or Coach or have an interest in sport? We are looking for an experienced minibus driver with D1 and/or PSV category for our busy sports fixtures, to drive on an ad-hoc basis. Rate to be agreed. DBS clearance essential, but this can be applied for through the Academy. Please contact Mr Clifford, Head of PE in the first instance on tclifford@richmondparkacademy.org

Tutors of A Level chemistry, maths and further maths

To enhance our Saturday morning Tutoring programme for KS5 we are looking for Tutors for A Level chemistry, maths and further maths

The minimum requirement is A Level in the relevant subject and it is ideally suited to an undergraduate. DBS clearance essential, but this can be applied for through the Academy. Rate to be agreed. In the first instance please contact Linda Thorndyke, HR Manager personnel@richmondparkacademy.org

Richmond Park Academy design and technology teacher, Ms Hunter has big plans to turn a school garden space behind the school staff room into a school community allotment which would benefit students and the local community for years to come. The space already houses a chicken coop and RPA’s very own ex battery hens that came to the school as a result of another initiative that Ms Hunter fundraised for and delivered. She now wants to go one step further and needs votes for her Aviva Community Fund application to see the new garden take shape.

Ms Hunter is enthusiastic about the variety of opportunities that the new garden will offer, “It has always worried me that young people do not know where their food comes from and their lack of basic skills to sustain themselves in a healthy way. I plan to involve local families in this project, provide learning outside of the classroom and even offer horticulture courses. This is on top of the fantastic produce that will continue to supply our food technology department and after school clubs.”

To be successful Ms Hunter needs all of your votes now! (You get 10!) So, please VOTE HERE. When you click through you will be asked to register in the right hand column. Register and then cast your votes!